The Decision: Cliff Lee style

(This is a look into the future, of what may happen with Cliff Lee)
::  Screen fades black::
Next thing you know Peter Gammons is sitting with Cliff Lee in his home in Arkansas. A Deer's head is mounted on the wall behind Lee, who is sitting in an office chair next to a table with the hats of the Yankees and Rangers. Gammons asks a few questions that Lee answers gives bland answers to. Gammons finally asks who will Cliff Lee play for in the 2011 MLB season. Lee answers " It was a tough choice, but after milking both teams for as much money as possible, I plan to bring pitching talents back to Arlington." Gasps can be heard throughout the baseball universe, wondering why in the world Lee would want to play for a team that has only just made its first World Series appearance instead of for the team that has won 27 titles.

R.I.P Freddy, but you are correct if the Yankees don't get Lee,
expect a state of emergecy in the Bronx.

While the Rangers celebrate yet another victory over the Yankees, the bombers try and figure what option number two is. While many Yankee fans are angry at Cliff Lee and will once again spit and verbally abuse his wife, fault can also be blamed on Brian Cashman. Cashman had  let all the other free agents pass him by while he put on the full court press for Lee. The fall back options are gone, and the other 29 teams realize that the Yankees are in complete panic mode. The Yankees look around the market and choose to take on the risk of Zach Grienke, trading away the future in Jesus Montero, Dellin Betances and other blue chip prospects. Grienke, mental disorder and all comes to New York and makes Kevin Brown look like a normal guy and has the fans begging for Javier Vazquez back. Meanwhile in Kansas City, Montero is playing like the second coming of a young Jorge Posada in his rookie season.

::Flash forward to the Texas Rangers side:: Cliff Lee comes back to Nolan Ryan in open arms, it may have cost the Rangers over $155 million but they have Lee back for the next seven years, until he is 39 years old. While making Cliff Lee one of the richest if not the richest pitcher of all time the Rangers made a huge mistake and repeat there own history. Just like in the winter of 2000 when the Rangers signed Alex Rodriguez, the Rangers will have locked up one player at such a large salary that over the next few years they won't be able to re-sign key free agent of there own. The Rangers will have to sit back and watch as Josh Hamilton, Ian Kinsker, CJ Wilson and Michael Young bolt for other teams, because they could not offer them enough years and money with killing their own payroll. As for the fans, that once cheered on the Rangers during the 2010 World Series run, well they have all left just like the free agents, going back to following the Dallas Cowboys and college football 365 days a year.

Of course this could all be false if Cliff Lee signs with the Yankees. If that's the case then the Yankees will have the best team in the American League and will once again be World Series favorites in 2011 and likely add a few championships over the next few years. The Rangers on the other hand won't turn out as poorly as everyone thinks they will. They will have lost prospects once they traded for Lee, but with the money that comes off the payroll and the draft pick that they will receive from the Yankees the Rangers will be able to continue to be a competitive team in the AL West for years to come.